Hero Of War
by MJLS
Summary: A hero of war...Is that what they see, just medals and scars. So damn proud of me and I brought home that flag. Now it gathers dust. But it's a flag that I love, it's the only flag I trust... Tony/Steve if you squint


_He said, "Son,_

_Have you see the world?_

_Well, what would you say_

_If I said that you could?_

_Just carry this gun and you'll even get paid."_

_I said, "That sounds pretty good."_

His whole life had been about the war. Even his art had reflected that at one point. However, his body was not the best. The big shirts and wide pants made him look gangly, he was skinny, with a mope of light blond hair on top of his head. The look was completed with a pair of bright blue eyes. He had been chosen out of thousands for the supersoldier project. He had given up his body to science, just in the hope that he would grow stronger and be able to fight in the war for his country.

The 'Operation : Rebirth' was hard to endure, he had suffered pain but in the end, he considered it an honor to be the first of many. He was serving his country in a way that he had never thought to be possible with his poor constitution. The uniform that was given him had been based on his own sketches. A suit modeled after the American flag, to show everyone that he was serving his country and that he was proud of it. He was barely out of his teens, but he had managed to be send out to the battlefield after all. With the code name 'Captain America' a lot of soldiers were already looking up to him. He was the symbol of hope for a lot of American citizens.

_Black leather boots_

_Spit-shined so bright_

_They cut off my hair but it looked alright_

_We marched and we sang_

_We all became friends_

_As we learned how to fight_

He never really had a lot of training, he was handed his shield, a firearm and was immediately send out to the battlefield. The project had ended with the death of Dr. Josef Reinstein. When he received his new shield from the President, he had quickly stopped with the firearm, only relying on the shield strapped to his back or arm.

After the hours of battle, he practiced with the shield, throwing it away with a force that Bucky was in awe and catching it just on time before it would hit him. Bucky, being the only one who really knew who Captain America was, was considered to be his sidekick. The other soldiers were used to seeing the two together and their appearance on the battle field often resulted in small smiles on the lips of the soldiers, who felt the hope and confidence radiating from the iconic man in blue, white and red leather.

_A hero of war_

_Yeah that's what I'll be_

_And when I come home_

_They'll be damn proud of me_

_I'll carry this flag_

_To the grave if I must_

_Because it's flag that I love_

_And a flag that I trust_

He knew that he might never come home. Steve had taken that chance and ran into the battlefield whenever he was called upon. His suit safely hidden underneath the dark green suit that all the soldiers wore. Bucky was always on his side. And even though a lot of American's died on the battlefield (whether he was there or not), he hadn't always received positive comments from people. Some soldiers laughed at the sight of his costume, others admired him the moment he walked in a room. Some of the new ones often asked if they could hold his shield (which he always allowed but being a bit paranoid of his shield, Steve kept a close eye on it as it passed through the bunch of new soldiers).

_I kicked in the door_

_I yelled my commands_

_The children, they cried_

_But I got my man_

_We took him away_

_A bag over his face_

_From his family and his friends_

_They took off his clothes_

_They pissed in his hands_

_I told them to stop_

_But then I joined in_

_We beat him with guns_

_And batons not just once_

_But again and again_

Steve, hiding his Captain America persona as a the clumsy infantry private, was often known to mother the other soldiers. Look over them and be worried when they were wounded. He even saw the good in the German soldiers the rest of his team took hostage and tortured. That quality of him was often mocked upon, but Steve ignored most of that, knowing that secretly, they all looked up to him. Bucky sometimes defended him against the others but Steve had to tell him more and more not to do that.

_A hero of war_

_Yeah that's what I'll be_

_And when I come home_

_They'll be damn proud of me_

_I'll carry this flag_

_To the grave if I must_

_Because it's flag that I love_

_And a flag that I trust_

The American flag. He had it on his shield, his costume, a big 'A' on his helmet. He was America itself in some ways. Perfect, seeing the good in everyone. Steve was often found in the infarmy, sighing and putting his head in his hands, sitting in the dark tent with the wounded soldiers. His suit still clinging to his body, a layer of sweat on his forehead as silent tears fell for those who had perished that day.

_She walked through bullets and haze_

_I asked her to stop_

_I begged her to stay_

_But she pressed on_

_So I lifted my gun_

_And I fired away_

He never went home, he always stayed on the battlefield. But the fact that there was once a female recruit dressed as a man had always shocked him. The lengths she had gone through not to get spotted as female and send back home. The things she did to show the others that she was worth every inch of her body and it wasn't just to make dinner and wait until the men finally came home from the war.

Steve had admired her from afar. Something he probably shouldn't have done, at least, that was what Bucky had kept telling him. She always kept a miniature version of the American flag wrapped around her arm, even when she had to crawl to the mud or got wounded and it was soaked in blood. She washed it whenever it was needed, and even went back to the battlefield to find it, claiming it was some sort of good luck charm.

_And the shells jumped through the smoke_

_And into the sand_

_That the blood now had soaked_

_She collapsed with a flag in her hand_

_A flag white as snow_

The day she had died had been a dark one for everyone. She had been the one that brought some sort of life during those dark knights alone in the camps before the battle. Always mocking the other men when they were injured, claiming she had worse injuries. An open ear to everyone who needed one. Steve never really talked a lot to her. But she had kissed him (at least, she had kissed Captain America) just before running into the battle field that day, thanking him for what he had meant to her even if he hadn't done anything.

_A hero of war_

_Is that what they see_

_Just medals and scars_

_So damn proud of me_

_And I brought home that flag_

_Now it gathers dust_

_But it's a flag that I love_

_It's the only flag I trust_

Steve sighed and stood up, the rain had stopped and the white graves were shimmering in the bright sun light that had broken through the dark clouds. His red boots were in contrast with the white and green surrounding him as he walked through the graves.

Tony had brought him here, a day too early but Steve didn't mind. He knew that the 4th of November would bring a lot of people to the grave site and he'd rather avoid the families and crowds gathering around the graves, some of them glaring at him and asking to themselves why he was still alive while their family member was dead because of the war.

Stopping briefly at the grave of that one girl who had meant something to him during the war, Steve pressed two fingers against the white stone of her grave and then walked away, shoulders hunched and his eyes looking down to his feet before looking up and smiling up at Tony waiting at his black car.

_He said, "Son, have you seen the world? Well what would you say, if I said that you could?"_

* * *

A small songfic based on the song "Hero Of War" by Rise Against, I recommend this song to everyone who read this, even if you're not interested in the band, or don't even know it. It's an acoustic song and the lyrics are simply worth listening to. I hope you all liked this oneshot, please leave a comment if you did, I like feedback.


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